Dads Like Cars

Before Father’s Day I thought it would be a good idea to ask my Dad-in-law what he would like to do on his holiday. My Dad is in Texas and I figure Dad-in-law gets first choice over Husband on this particular holiday. We told him we’d do whatever he wants and much to my dismay he chose the Lane Motor Museum. If you remember correctly, I am not exactly a car enthusiast. In fact, my “dream car” would be a prius…which is what I currently drive. I have never been impressed for fast cars and couldn’t tell you the name of a fancy car I pass on the street. It’s just not my thang.

Some of the various tires from the various cars at the museum…so much variety!

Honestly, I was hoping there’d be a nearby Starbucks I could sit at while Luna ate and the boys looked at cars. However, it was Father’s Day after all so I figured I should probably spend time with “the boys”. The Lane Motor Museum is actually the old Sunbeam bread bakery. The owner, Jeff Lane, opened this museum in 2002 and he has his own personal collection on display (including the first car he ever restored when he was just a teenager). I learned all of this while watching the intro video on loop while Luna ate.

more cool tires!

Anyways, I’ll go ahead an admit that I really enjoyed the museum. The cars there are legitimately interesting to look at and read about. There were cars that drove both directions, went in water (amphibious), had 3 wheels, ran on coal, made from fiberglass, created in a myriad of countries and had the craziest characteristics. I can’t tell you the names or anything about how they run, but they were very pretty, creative, innovative and have lots of history. The museum also had some small planes and motorcycles. Everything on display seemed to have a story and proved to be much more than just a car.

I think even Luna enjoyed walking around and looking at all the colors and shiny things. Of course, we forced her to take a million pictures, but how can we not take photos of the cutest baby ever? When she’s older she’ll be able to do a lot more. They had an entire area designated for kids to play and run around. There were many fathers and kids spending the day together and taking advantage of the play place, very cute.

Since it was Father’s Day the museum was not only letting Dads in for free, but also letting the first 240 guests on a free tour of the basement! See, the museum has over 400 cars, but only about 100 are on display at a time. the rest are either off on other exhibits, being maintained, repaired, restored or simply waiting their turn to be on display. On our basement tour we learned that virtually every car runs! It’s the museum’s goal to keep the cars in working condition. Some lucky souls actually get to drive the cars around to keep them running smoothly.

Besides all of the crazy cars on the main floor and in the basement, there’s also some parked in the garage where everyone parks. Just outside of the garage is perhaps the most interesting vehicle of the whole museum. There is giant, and I mean GIANT, Lark LX Amphibian. It can carry 60 tons through the ocean and land. Just the tires are 9 feet tall.

So, the Motor Museum turns out to be pretty entertaining after all. I’d even go back, which is saying a lot! One of my favorite parts of the museum were the many maps at the front where every guest is allowed to stick a pin to show where they are from. It is unbelievable how many people from all over the world have been to this museum.